Toget er veldig langt.

to be

Breakdown of Toget er veldig langt.

• lang: long
• veldig: very
• tog: the train

Questions & Answers about Toget er veldig langt.

Why is toget used here instead of something like et tog?

In Norwegian, nouns typically add an ending to show the definite form. Because tog is a neuter word, its definite form becomes toget (meaning "the train") rather than et tog (which means "a train" in the indefinite form). You’ll see similar endings in other neuter nouns, such as huset ("the house") from et hus ("a house").

Why do we use er here? Is it connected to English am/is/are?

Yes! Er is the present tense form of the verb å være ("to be") and is equivalent to am/is/are in English. You use er for all subjects in the present tense (jeg er, du er, han er, vi er, etc.), which makes it simpler than in English, where you have multiple forms of the verb.

Why is langt spelled with a t at the end?

This is because tog is a neuter noun. In Norwegian, the adjective that follows neuter nouns often has a t added in the indefinite form (e.g., et langt tog). In a predicative context like Toget er veldig langt, the adjective continues to match the neuter subject, so we keep the t form of the adjective.

How does veldig fit into the sentence?

Veldig is an intensifier meaning "very" in English. It naturally comes before the adjective it modifies, so toget er veldig langt puts emphasis on how long the train is. You can compare it to the placement of very in "The train is very long."